http://johnhcochrane.blogspot.com/20...reat-idea.html
i hope everyone will take the time to read this article. it's a good explanation of why it works, and why a simple majority vote wouldn't be as good of a system, and what problems could arise if we changed how we select our president.
an excerpt:
A system in which each candidate has to get a small majority in a large number of states is a good system to keep a polarized democracy together. A straight popular vote, in which one could win by getting huge majorities in some areas and lose by huge majorities in other areas, is a disaster waiting to happen.
madison warned of a tyrannical majority. not in the government, but in the country. consider what happened the last time parties became a party of geography instead of a party of people.